Yesterday Mabel and I settled into the studio, both armed with paint and brushes, and got to work. She was creating decorations for a party she was planning (I'm still fuzzy on the particulars) while I worked on the knot painting. After a 2 hour stint, I thought I'd reached a reasonable conclusion. Mabel disagreed, "Too much green. Sometimes I like green, sometimes I don't." She made it clear that in the case of this painting, it was a time of dislike.

Since the painting is a gift to Charlie I asked his thoughts. He suggested I dull the green down, and since he asked nicely, I guess I'll do that.

It's a good excuse to hang out with the kid sans-TV, and she likes to ask me about different paints, why they're different textures (thick and sticky, runny, etc.), the different colors and variations in the same colors, and why I paint the way I do. Seems pretty insightful for a 3 year old, but I'm biased. I wonder how many more afternoons I'll have the ability to keep her interested in paint? I'll take what I can get, and cherish the moment the other day when she sat on my lap and told me how much she likes watching me paint.